Should I go FX-60 or OC'd X2 4800+???

[Proprioceptive]

I'm building my own machine and I'm stuck as to which processor I should get. I know I could save $400 by going with the X2 4800+ and overclocking by 200mhz (and spending extra money on other crap), but I've never overclocked before and I'm wondering if with my current setup it'd be the best idea... or if I should just go FX-60. I'm definitely willing to learn how to OC properly, so I'm just looking for some advice here. Below is the setup I plan on ordering:

Lian-Li V-1000B (opted against PLUS because of loud extra fans)
A8N-SLI Premium
Athlon FX-60 (or X2 4800+... can't decide)
Enermax Liberty 620watt
TwinX2048-3500LLPro (2gb) memory (anyone have any better suggestions?)
eVGA e-GeForce7800GTX KO (2 in SLI)
Soundblaster x-fi Xtrememusic

Zalman REserator 1 Plus (adding another VGA block for second GPU)
WD Rapter 150GB
WD Caviar RE16 400GB (2 of these)

Plextor PX-716AL DVD/CD Writer (2 of these... want to be able to do disc to disc writing and I really like the slot look... plus good drives)

Hauppauge 500 MCE (I'm also looking at the Adaptec PVR 3610 [USB])

Windows MCE 2005
Dell 2405fpw (2407fpw if it comes out soon, or I may just use my existing monitor and wait... HDCP SUCKS!)

APC 750VA UPS battery backup
Gyration Ultra Cordless Optical Mouse

 

[kenrippy]

i currently have an x2 4400+ and it's oc'd nicely with not much effort. i would get the same if i had to do it over again. no reason to spend 600+ on a cpu!

here's my setup:

4400+ @ 2.5ghz
thermalright SI-120 w/ recommended panaflo L1-A fan
A8N-SLI Premium
crucial ballistix pc4000 2x1gb @ 250 3-3-3-8 1T (don't get this ram)
antec TP 550
6600GT (i don't game much)
2x 74gb raptors RAID 0
2x 200gb seagate SATA drives
NEC 3500a + LiteOn combo drive

you should get pc4000 ram if you want to overclock without much effort. sure it's cas3, but that doesn't make any difference in this application.
if you can afford it, i'd get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227225
if on a budget, get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227219

 

[djnsmith7]

I'd say go w/ the X2-4400+...I have it & love it...Don't see a need to OC it...You'll save a lot of $$$ for other components...But, of course, it's your $$$...

It's difficult for me to justify that much money on a CPU...

 

[alimoalem]

first off you can drop down to a 500w psu and save a load of money

about your cpu, i'd say even the 4800x2 is overspending but if you can only choose between those two, go with the 4800x2 and OC, if you need to. it should be fast enough as it is

the ram kenrippy linked is good (the cheaper ram imo is much more worth it) or some g.skill extreme ram.

i would buy only one 7800gtx right now, see how that fits your needs and buy a second one if you really need it. just my opinion though

 

[kenrippy]

Originally posted by: alimoalem
first off you can drop down to a 500w psu and save a load of money

i would buy only one 7800gtx right now, see how that fits your needs and buy a second one if you really need it. just my opinion though

i forgot to mention the psu. an antec TP 550w would be fine

and that's true about the single card for now. wait it out, you probably won't need it.

 

[Proprioceptive]

Originally posted by: alimoalem
first off you can drop down to a 500w psu and save a load of money

about your cpu, i'd say even the 4800x2 is overspending but if you can only choose between those two, go with the 4800x2 and OC, if you need to. it should be fast enough as it is

the ram kenrippy linked is good (the cheaper ram imo is much more worth it) or some g.skill extreme ram.

i would buy only one 7800gtx right now, see how that fits your needs and buy a second one if you really need it. just my opinion though

Thanks for the advice.
1)I want dual GPUs because I plan on gaming at at least 1920x1200.
2)Are you saying 500w would be fine even with dual GPUs? I was thinking that at least 550watt with my setup
3)As far as the memory goes, I'm aware that a low CAS rating is great for performance. Money isn't really an issue (No money from my pocket on this one ) , but value is always worth looking into. I want to have the best performance for my buck.

 

[RussianSensation]

Originally posted by: Proprioceptive

1)I want dual GPUs because I plan on gaming at at least 1920x1200.
2)Are you saying 500w would be fine even with dual GPUs? I was thinking that at least 550watt with my setup
3)As far as the memory goes, I'm aware that a low CAS rating is great for performance. Money isn't really an issue (No money from my pocket on this one ) , but value is always worth looking into. I want to have the best performance for my buck.

Get Enermax 651 PSU. It's about as good as it gets for $110. Get cheap ram. Low latendy stuff gives 5% performance increase literally. Take the rest and get 2x1900XTs with the price savings. 7800GTX 256mb SLi cards tank at 8AA/14AA and 16AF settings. They will surely be slower at 1920x1200 as well.

7800GTX 256mb SLI vs. X1900xt crossife

Also since the wait is not much more, you might want to consider dual 7900GTs, or 7900 GTX cards on March 9th.

For the CPU, I'd go with 4400+, Opteron 165 or Opteron 170. No reason to get FX60 unless you are the most hardcore overclocker out there. Also makes no sense to get 2 DVD writers. Get 1 dvd writer and a dvd player. BenQ 1640 should be better too for half the price. The motherboard doesnt overclock well. Get the DFI sli board, Epox SLi or Asus A8N32-SLI.

 

[KoolDrew]

Opteron 165.

 

[Proprioceptive]

I think i"ve decided to go with the X2 4800+ and overclock. For the X1900XTs, do you recommend a good motherboard? I would prefer a board that has 3 PCI slots below the PCIex16 slots. Awesome info... thanks.

 

[Proprioceptive]

Obviously for Crossfire I'd need a RadeonXpres200 board
EDIT: maybe the A8R-MVP??

 

[RussianSensation]

Originally posted by: Proprioceptive
I think i"ve decided to go with the X2 4800+ and overclock. For the X1900XTs, do you recommend a good motherboard? I would prefer a board that has 3 PCI slots below the PCIex16 slots. Awesome info... thanks.

Asus A8R-MVP CrossFire

But new boards using RD580 chipset should be out shortly. Again 7900GT cards are rumoured to have 7800GTX 256mb performance for $299. This might be the best price/performance option. Even though X1900 series is the fastest solution, it is far from worth the price premium imo. $590 for X1900XTX crossfire card and $500 for X1900XT card is $1100 for 2 cards. That's 2x the cost of dual 7900GTs.

This ram is better than the corsair ram you were looking at for less $$:

OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR (PC 3200) 2-3-2-5 $160

 

[KoolDrew]

I think i"ve decided to go with the X2 4800+ and overclock.

You're wasting your money. The Opteron 165 will overclock better, is $300 cheaper, and it has the same amount of cache. If you are overclocking there is absolutely no reason to get anything more expensive. It would just be a complete waste of money.

I want to have the best performance for my buck.

It definitely doesn't look like it.

 

[Proprioceptive]

It definitely doesn't look like it.

I know absolutely nothing about Opteron processors to tell you the truth. I dont' know how to overclock either. I'm definitely willing to learn, though. If I overclocked this Opteron 165 like you say, would I be able to get the performance I originally wanted out of the 4800?

 

[Proprioceptive]

I'm also looking at this motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a...65&ATT=13-136-165&CMP=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r

Good choice?

 

[Proprioceptive]

This ram is better than the corsair ram you were looking at for less $$:

OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR (PC 3200) 2-3-2-5 $160

Awesome... thanks for the advice. This definitely looks like a better set. I've also read that these sticks are better for overclocking.

 

[terry107]

Originally posted by: Proprioceptive

It definitely doesn't look like it.

I know absolutely nothing about Opteron processors to tell you the truth. I dont' know how to overclock either. I'm definitely willing to learn, though. If I overclocked this Opteron 165 like you say, would I be able to get the performance I originally wanted out of the 4800?

I'm currently running my Opteron 165 at 2.7ghz (from 1.8ghz stock), and I had absolutely no experience in overclocking before I built my new rig. From what I understand though, it's the luck of the draw. It's a pretty safe bet to get around the 2.5ghz range, but to go higher requires a little more work. A handful of 165s have been clocked (and run stable) at 3ghz, but again, it's the luck of the draw. If you go this route, read up a lot on overclocking beforehand so you're semi-familiar with what you're doing before you dive into it.

 

[Proprioceptive]

I'm definitely going to look into the possibility of getting an Opteron 165... any other better processors out there Opteron-wise?

Also, with the money I'm saving I may opt to go with two X1900XTs in Crossfire? 1gig of GPU power doesn't sound too shabby, eh?

 

[terry107]

Originally posted by: Proprioceptive
I'm definitely going to look into the possibility of getting an Opteron 165... any other better processors out there Opteron-wise?

Also, with the money I'm saving I may opt to go with two X1900XTs in Crossfire? 1gig of GPU power doesn't sound too shabby, eh?

Most people I've read about either get the Opteron 165 or Opteron 170. The difference between the two is the 165's max multiplier is 9, while the 170 has a 10x max multiplier. This means that you can achieve a higher overclock with a lower HTT speed. If that didn't make any sense, I would strongly recommend reading this guide. Tons of great information there.

 

[mikester]

Originally posted by: Proprioceptive

It definitely doesn't look like it.

I know absolutely nothing about Opteron processors to tell you the truth. I dont' know how to overclock either. I'm definitely willing to learn, though. If I overclocked this Opteron 165 like you say, would I be able to get the performance I originally wanted out of the 4800?

Heck, I can overclock my X2 3800+ to run faster than a stock 4800+, and the Opteron 165 has twice the cache so it should outperform the 3800+ to start with. Plus the Opteron's are supposed to overclock a little better than the X2's to start with, because they supposedly use a better grade of silicon.

I used to have my 3800+ running stable at 2.6GHz, but I didn't like how much voltage I was having to push through it (1.55v - getting a little on the dangerous side for an X2). Now I run it 24/7 at 2.4 GHz at a very safe voltage and temperature and it is rock solid, and still equal in performance to a 4800+ for half the price. And the Opteron 165 would probably do even better for like $30 more (unfortunately they came out like a month after I bought my X2 ).

 

[Proprioceptive]

I noticed that a big differnece between the Opteron family and the 64 X2 family is that on the Opteron's, they have a 64+64kb L1 cache compared to a 128+128kb L1 cache on the X2... I dont' claim to know everything about computers, and I'm wondering if this would affect the performance in a bad way.

 

[mikester]

But the Opterons generally have more L2 cache, which is more important performance-wise. You take a much bigger hit transferring data between main memory and L2 cache than you do between L2 and L1.

 

[Proprioceptive]

Originally posted by: mikester
But the Opterons generally have more L2 cache, which is more important performance-wise. You take a much bigger hit transferring data between main memory and L2 cache than you do between L2 and L1.

Awesome. Thanks for the advice. I'm currently looking at the Opteron 170. I think I may go with that and overclock once I learn how to.
EDIT: I just read in a guru3d forum that it's possible the Opterons will be getting a price hike and become more expensive than the X2s... this true?

 

[terry107]

Originally posted by: Proprioceptive

Originally posted by: mikester
But the Opterons generally have more L2 cache, which is more important performance-wise. You take a much bigger hit transferring data between main memory and L2 cache than you do between L2 and L1.

Awesome. Thanks for the advice. I'm currently looking at the Opteron 170. I think I may go with that and overclock once I learn how to.
EDIT: I just read in a guru3d forum that it's possible the Opterons will be getting a price hike and become more expensive than the X2s... this true?

Yes, it is. If you look at Anand's real-time pricing thing-a-ma-bob, you'll see that the increase has already begun. Get them while you can.

 

[Proprioceptive]

Wow... so far I've gone from 1,011 to 460 dollars on a processor. CRAZY. I'm also spending 100 less on memory. All this and I'm going to get the same performance. You guys are awesome.

Between these two mobos... which would you recommend.

A8R-MVP
DFI LanParty UT RDX200 CF-DR

 

[imported_fx]

I would recommend A8R32-MVP that release tomorrow..